Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
WASHINGTON — NAFTA negotiations are underway — and the United States says it wants major changes to the agreement, not mere tweaks.
U.S. trade czar Robert Lighthizer welcomed his Canadian and Mexican counterparts to Washington, D.C., for what he called a historic day.
Lighthizer says it’s the first time in American history that a major trade agreement is being renegotiated, and the first time a would-be president has kept his promise to reopen a trade deal.
He says he shares Donald Trump’s views on trade — and that the U.S. wants substantial changes.
That includes changes to the rules for importing auto parts, higher labour standards and a new dispute-settlement process that respects the sovereignty of individual countries.
His Canadian counterpart, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, points to statistics showing Canada-U.S. trade is balanced.
Freeland held up a picture of U.S. firefighters helping to douse forest fire flames in British Columbia, saying that spirit of mutual benefit should guide the talks.
